Summers in Supino: Becoming Italian
3.5/5
()
Currently unavailable
Currently unavailable
About this ebook
Every summer Maria and her husband, Bob, went to their little house in the Italian village of Supino, and every year it was a new adventure. Only in Supino would you find a pizzeria in a sheep pasture, a seafood restaurant hidden in the woods, or an electrical cord draped from one balcony to the next so neighbours could share power. In Supino, they celebrate the first figs of the season; host watermelon, azalea, and artichoke festivals; and take pleasure in the magical view of the stars in the summer sky.
Written with humour and heart, Summers in Supino is Maria Coletta McLean’s memoir of these summers with Bob, as she becomes accustomed to the town her father grew up in and the peculiarities of the people who live there. Cousin Guido argues with their neighbour over who can plant a grapevine and therefore reap the harvest. Villagers debate whether one neighbour can trade the installation of some terra cotta tiles and the use of a pizza oven (he has yet to build) for the land beneath Bob and Maria’s patio. And as Maria comes to understand her connection to this wonderful place, Bob proposes they open a coffee bar on the piazza.
Full of wonderfully vivid stories of Italy, Summers in Supino also explores loss, grief, and the restorative power of community.
Maria Coletta McLean
Maria Coletta McLean is a Canadian-born writer of Italian ancestory. She collected and contributed to MAMA MIA! Good Italian Girls Talk Back (ECW, 2004). MY FATHER CAME FROM ITALY (Raincoast Books, 2000) is a daughter's loving account of reclaiming her aged father's dignity by returning to his home village of Supino.
Related to Summers in Supino
Related ebooks
Chickens Eat Pasta: Escape to Umbria Rating: 5 out of 5 stars5/5Italy On Two Cappuccinos Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsThe Lady's Country Companion; Or, How to Enjoy a Country Life Rationally Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsDim Sum Girls: A Journey of Cooking and Friendship Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsThe Kitten’S Cooler: And Other Stories Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsThe House of Mirth Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5A Van of One's Own: A Winter Sojourn Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsLove In Paris - Poetic Guide to the Romance of the City Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsThe Warmest Room in the House: How the Kitchen Became the Heart of the Twentieth-Century American Home Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5A Kayak for One Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsThe Best Travel Writing 2011: True Stories from Around the World Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5Women’s Work: How Culinary Cultures Shaped Modern Spain Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsLast Train from Liguria Rating: 3 out of 5 stars3/5Nooks and Corners of Old Paris Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsSeptember to Remember: Savoring the Olde Ways Series: Book Three Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsGalveston Architecture: A Visual Journey Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsLake Redemption Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsMelting Pot: Stories and Recipes from a Chinese American Daydreamer Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsThe Vietnamese Street Foodies Guide: Discover the Vietnamese Street Food Culture and Eat Like a Local Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsPARIS: 2019 - The Food Enthusiast’s Complete Restaurant Guide Rating: 5 out of 5 stars5/5Garden Ornaments Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsCookbook for Murder: The Recipes From A Kayak for One Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsTo Paris, Venice and Rome Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsClassic Restaurants of Fort Wayne Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsMy Father Came From Italy Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5Summers in Supino: Becoming Italian: A Memoir Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsThis Is Home: A Novel Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5Self Stirred Conscience: Play(s) Time Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsAverage Joe: An Autobiography of a Working Man Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsThe Scars Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratings
Europe Travel For You
Easy Learning French Conversation: Trusted support for learning Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsPortuguese for Beginners: A Comprehensive Guide for Learning the Portuguese Language Fast Rating: 5 out of 5 stars5/5Fodor's Bucket List Europe: From the Epic to the Eccentric, 500+ Ultimate Experiences Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsThe Creeper: an atmospheric, chilling horror from the author of The Watchers Rating: 3 out of 5 stars3/5Easy Learning Italian Conversation: Trusted support for learning Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5Italy Travel Guide: Top 40 Beautiful Places You Can't Miss!: Travel Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5Unlocking Spanish with Paul Noble Rating: 5 out of 5 stars5/5Easy Learning Spanish Conversation: Trusted support for learning Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsForest Walking: Discovering the Trees and Woodlands of North America Rating: 5 out of 5 stars5/5Mastering Spanish Words: Increase Your Vocabulary with Over 3000 Spanish Words in Context Rating: 5 out of 5 stars5/5Frommer's Ireland 2020 Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsFodor's Amsterdam: with the Best of the Netherlands Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsConversational French Quick and Easy: The Most Innovative Technique to Learn the French Language. Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5Learn Spanish : How To Learn Spanish Fast In Just 168 Hours (7 Days) Rating: 3 out of 5 stars3/5I Hate Men Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5Frommer's Iceland Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsPocket Rough Guide Rome (Travel Guide eBook) Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5Frommer's Athens and the Greek Islands Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsThe Everything Travel Guide to Ireland: From Dublin to Galway and Cork to Donegal - a complete guide to the Emerald Isle Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsHuckleberry Finn Rating: 5 out of 5 stars5/5Frommer's Scotland Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsThe Nordic Theory of Everything: In Search of a Better Life Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5From Scratch: A Memoir of Love, Sicily, and Finding Home Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5
Reviews for Summers in Supino
4 ratings1 review
- Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5This surprising memoir brings much more than travel, food, and scenery. I expected it would be about another American couple who decided to go back to the old country and how they dealt with the language and culture differences and the difficulties they occasioned. Instead, I got a warm, loving, bittersweet story of a Canadian couple returning to an Italian home they've had for years, and the growing affection they felt for the village and its people: an affection that was obviously reciprocated.Maria Coletta McLean's father came to Canada from the village of Supino. When she married Bob McLean, she and her Italian family embarked on a mission to help Bob become Italian. Later, she and Bob purchased a small home in Supino to take her father home again before he died. Her earlier book " My Father Came from Italy" published in 2011, gives the backfill. However, I didn't feel I needed to read the earlier one to enjoy this one.The heart-warming stories of how the Canadians (the becoming Italians) learn the pace of life in this tiny village, how to deal with electric companies, narrow streets, bathrooms that are only accessible by going outside and then coming in another door, village shopping, festas, and an entire cast of lovable, eccentric (to our eyes) characters who guide them on the journey of acculturation. Each summer, they stay a little longer, and each year the pull of staying permanently grows stronger. Bob, who runs a coffee roasting business in Toronto, finally decides he wants to open a coffee shop in the village.When they return to Toronto to begin preparations for this momentous step, the story takes an unexpected and heart-stopping twist. Maria Coletta McLean's beautiful tribute to her husband, her family (both Canadian and Italian) is much more than a summer read. It's a memoir of love, loss and comfort. A definite cut above the average travel diaglogue.